This is Heartache
by xHeartofBlazexX
Summary: She doesn't know what to do anymore when it comes down to Uchiha Sasuke and she can understand his need for redemption, but Haruno Sakura thinks it isn't fair the way he tortures her with his visits to Konoha every so often. Their relationship, even as genin, has never been just black and white. "Can't you see that you're breaking me down?" SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1

Her hands are covered in blood. The heart monitor beeps with the steady rhythm of her patients heartbeat. She'd successfully managed to remove a tumor from a shinobi she'd worked with a few months ago. Sakura smiles knowing that he'll be fine and she calls over one her of assistants to clean him up. She rinses off her hands and forearms in the nearby sink and proceeds to head back to her office.

The hospital is quiet as she walks down the hall, her ninja heels being the only noise that follows behind her as her lab coat floats gently with her movements. Grabbing the door knob, she twists it and walks into her office, failing to notice the two men already inside.

Her eyes all but bulge out of their sockets. Naruto is laying comfortably on her couch, a medical magazine in his hand, and there, leaning against her desk is Sasuke. The boisterous blonde sits up swiftly when he hears the door open and close with a _click_. His excitement all too evident on his face at her surprised expression. Sakura hadn't known that Sasuke was coming back to village today so he thought it would be a great idea to surprise her with his arrival.

"Hi, Sakura! Look who's here!" Naruto all but gushes out.

Green eyes shift to her friend in quick acknowledgment then to Sasuke. He's leaning against her desk with his arms crossed against his chest with one knee bent. His posture is relaxed she notices. He's still wearing his traveling cloak - the one from when he left a year ago - and purple bindings are wrapped around his forehead. His hair, she notices, is longer and in need of a cut. He looks robust and there is a certain calmness to his chakra as opposed to his once chaotic one. '_He looks a lot better.'_

"Hi," she says almost quietly.

"...Sakura." Her name falls so easily off his lips. It's so familiar that it constricts her heart, reminding her of just how much she has missed him.

They stand before one another, slowly drinking in each others presence. Sasuke notices that her hair has gotten longer, but not the length he remembers from their genin days. Mid length looks better on her he thinks. He sees the light bruising under her eyes; can recognize the sleepless nights she's probably had. Naruto watches them carefully, and thoroughly confused at their actions. He isn't entirely sure why she doesn't seem more excited to see their old teammate, but guesses that she is just in shock.

The medic nin walks over to Sasuke and rests her hand against his bicep. She can feel the warmth radiating off his body, can feel the way his muscle tenses up under her gentle touch, but he doesn't recoil away from her. All too suddenly she is overwhelmed with happiness that she thinks her heart might just burst out of her chest. Glassy, emerald eyes look up into onyx - he's gotten a lot taller - as she smiles up at him. "Welcome back."

"I won't be staying long," he responds.

Sakura's heart constricts and all at once her happy feelings are gone and replaced by irritation. Her hand falls limply against her side as she struggles to not let out a frustrated sigh. "Oh." She makes her way around the desk and sits on her too big chair. She rests her forearms against the table neatly folding her hands. "May I ask why?"

"There are still other villages that I must visit." He's facing her now because his family taught him to never give your back to anyone. He stuffs his hands into his pockets, his posture is so like the Sasuke that Sakura remembers in their youth that it already makes her miss him.

Naruto stands up from the couch and makes his way towards them. He claps Sasuke on the back, squeezes his shoulder, and proceeds to inform her that although their dark haired friend is leaving again, he wasn't going to let him go so soon. " Hey! Let's get some ramen to celebrate!"

"Tch. Don't you ever get tired of eating that?" Sasuke retorts.

"Nope! Sakura, are you done for the day?"

The pinkette thinks for a moment, mentally going through her calendar for that day. She had an appointment in one hour and she still needed to update her recent patient's medical chart for the employees, but after that she was free for the rest of the day.

"How about a late lunch? I still have some things to do here. I'll meet you guys at four o'clock?"

Huffing out a breath of disappointment Naruto nods. "Fine, i'll take the bastard to see everyone else!"

"I'd rather not," Sasuke says.

"Why not? Everyone will be surprised to see you!"

"Naruto, I'm sure Sasuke is tired and wants to freshen up. Plus, i'm pretty sure everyone already knows he's back." Sakura swivels her chair around to look out her window. "There's a commotion outside and I can only guess why."

"Is there a back exit?" The Uchiha asks.

"Yeah, Naruto show him where it is. I'll see you two later."

After a few more protests from her blonde teammate they finally make their way out her office, but Sasuke is mid way out her door when he stops and looks at her over his shoulder. Their gazes connect and Sakura's breath hitches, heart pounding at the familiarity she sees in his eyes. "It's good to see you," he says and walks out after Naruto.

The door closes behind him with a gentle _click_. Sakura slumps against her chair, buries her face into her palms and screams.

xx

A/N Still can't get over that our OTP is canon. I can't deal! Though this is a short chapter, I will be posting lengthier ones after this so don't worry. Please review as i'd love to hear your feedback!


	2. Chapter 2

12/18: Just came back to do some editing, nothing has changed besides adding italics. For some reason FF didn't register the way I originally posted this chapter.

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><p>It's hot in Konoha today more so than usual. The sky is a clear blue, but somehow Sakura can't enjoy it to its fullness. A light breeze sweeps her hair, cooling off her lightly sweat soaked collarbone. The people in the village are bustling around her as they haggle prices with off duty shinobi and civilian trying to keep their children in their sites.<p>

She takes the long way to Ichiraku because although she's had three hours to absorb the fact that Sasuke has come back to the village, it isn't enough time to shake the feelings that he stirred within her - nervousness, apprehension, confusion, _betrayal_ and above all _longing_ - and she isn't sure how she's supposed to take this like it's the most of natural occurrences.

The fact that he's been away for a year since the war ended and knowing that he would come back someday (because he said so himself didn't he) does not lesson the fact that for all the above mentioned feelings she has, Sakura is also angry. Pissed actually. She wonders why she didn't know of his return prior. Did he think that she would make a big deal out of it? Was their last meeting with one another nothing to him?

Haruno Sakura wasn't stupid and naive anymore. The day he left she had sensed a change in him, one that of course she didn't bring, but Naruto, and that's okay, but due to their long history with one another she'd like to think she was entitled to a _little _information. How many sunrises and sunsets did she spend wondering if he was okay, wondering if everyone outside their circle was accepting his gestures or throwing them back in his face; wondering if the war haunted him just as much as it did her.

Her thoughts distract her on her walk and before she even realizes it she is already in front of Ichiraku. Inside, the medic nin can feel the low hum of Sasuke's and Naruto's chakra. There was no turning back for she's sure they sensed her presence long before she noticed theirs. Her hand parts the curtains to the establishment and she makes her way inside. Their backs are to her as she takes a deep breath to calm her nerves and makes her way over to them. She's glad that there isn't a seat in between them because she isn't sure if she can be near the ex-avenger so soon and so Sakura takes a seat beside Naruto.

"Hey, you made it!"

Sakura nudges her friend with her shoulder, "I said I would." Turning to Teuchi she orders a spicy ramen, waving to Ayame who's down the bar table. She then rests her elbow on the table, her right cheek on one palm as she listens to the rest of the boys' conversation. Kinda.

They talk about mundane things at first like how Naruto wants to try ramen from the Land of Waves ("your ramen will always be the best, Teuchi") to the time they went to Kiri and how the Mizukage kept flirting with him ("she's super weird!") and this catches her attention slightly when she notices the face her dark haired companion makes at the mention of the long haired woman. It's twenty minutes into Naruto's rambling when he finally asks Sasuke about his journey and Sakura's ears perk up, back straightening as she listens closely.

"I went to Sound first," he starts and the pinkette notices the almost _disturbed_ look on his face as he tries to recall everything. "After killing Orochimaru -" A _snap_ is heard and Sakura notices that Naruto snapped his chopsticks at the mention of the snakes name. His knuckles almost white at the force he's holding back, but Sasuke continues without reflecting on the past. "The village was taken over by petty shinobi. The civilians were living like animals. When I arrived everyone was wary of me knowing my ties to him. The so called village leader, however, sought out my help in getting rid of the thieves which I gladly did, but the village needs more help in rebuilding itself."

"How long did you stay there for?" Naruto asks.

"Three months," Sasuke replies.

"Is there anything that Kakashi can do for them?"

Onyx eyes meet with crystal blue. "Establish order and appoint a new village leader. Someone that can protect them from anymore invaders."

"We can talk to sensei about it. I'm sure he would like to know about what's going on outside of Konoha. We'll help, too! Won't we, Sakura?"

Did her friend honestly think that she would want to step into that dreadful village? Even with Orochimaru and Kabuto annihilated Sakura still remembers all too clearly the pain it caused her and her home, but instead of expressing this she just vaguely nods her head because the look in his eyes is so hopeful that she couldn't bare to disappoint him. _'You forgive too easily.'_

The three of them continue on with their meal, thoughts of slithering snakes and hissing noises vibrating through Sakura's mind and she has to try her hardest not to flinch away when goosebumps run along her arm. She is on autopilot for the next half hour, nodding and shaking her head when it was necessary. Sasuke, ever the observant type, watches his female companion closely. Not once since their sit down did she make eye contact with him and he most definitely noticed the defensive guard she put up at the mention of Sound. He guesses that she is wary of the village (and how can she not) since it was the snake sannin who took him away from her. Them.

He briefly thinks that he would do things a little differently if he had the chance to go back in time. No, he doesn't regret the choices he made, but he would go about them differently. Especially when it came down to Team Seven. Suddenly, his loud mouthed friend is rising up off his seat, knocking the bar stool over screaming something about missing a date with Hinata.

"Ah! I almost forgot that I was supposed to meet with her!" Royal blue dart between his teammates, "I'll go tell her that I'll see her tomorrow and then we-"

"Go, loser. I'll see you … tomorrow." Sasuke says.

A wide grin spreads across the jinchūriki's face. "Okay! I'll see you two tomorrow! Bye!"

Sakura smiles gently at him and waves her goodbye to her friend, but then she is suddenly aware that she is alone with Sasuke and her nerves are ablaze. There's a pregnant pause for a few moments neither of them saying anything to one another. The medic nin sweeps a glance over to her current enigma from the corner of her eye. His bowl is finished and he's placed enough money on the table for the three of them.

Finally, he breaks the silence between them. "You don't have to go to Sound, Sakura."

She doesn't bother finishing the rest of her broth. It had gotten cold anyways due to her lack of appetite at the start of his story. "Why do you say that?" She asks.

Sasuke tilts his head in her direction - just like that night - "You clearly aren't fond of them."

"Can you blame me?"

"No, but I don't want you going there if you aren't willing to help them."

The dark haired ninja gets up from his stool and proceeds to make his way out of Ichiraku. He's just walked a few steps from the ramen stand when he feels Sakura's hand on his arm almost forcefully getting him to turn around. She looks angry. Her eyes are narrowed slits as she glares at him and it's a look so foreign to him that he doesn't know whether or not he should be irritated at her public display of attitude towards him.

"They _attacked_ us, Sasuke or don't you remember?"

"Yes, I do. But you're being childish."

His comment is like a slap to the face. "Excuse me?"

"You don't want to help them because of _me_. My decision to go to Sound was my own. The _civilians_ who preside in the village had nothing to do with the invasion. The shinobi who participated in that failed attempt are long gone so there is no reason for them to suffer over the actions of two dead men."

His reasoning is accurate she thinks, but she is a woman scorned by so many incidents which has lead her to be wary of anything pertaining to the past. But what about Suna? Hadn't they planned on attacking Konoha as well? By using Gaara as a weapon and yet she can confidently call him a friend. She was even friends with Temari and Kankuro.

Dark eyes observe the girl in front of him. He could see the thoughts all but running rampant in her mind. Her head bows slightly when she makes what he said sense, heaving a sigh of defeat at his reasoning. He didn't mean to be harsh with her but Sasuke had very little time to be gentle about anything when it came down to making the world a better place. He doesn't consider himself a savior. That would be ridiculous, but if he was going to redeem himself for all his wrong doings, and actually ask for assistance (when necessary) he had to have people willing to genuinely help. This of course doesn't mean that he doesn't understand the way she feels. He isn't blind. Sasuke knows what he put her through.

"Did you … did you ever think of Konoha?" He hears her ask.

He wasn't going to lie to her. "In the beginning I did, but after a while I forgot what it looked like." Truth was that he was too tired most nights to even think. The snake sannin had beaten and trained him till almost his last breath which sometimes resulted in him losing consciousness at times. He wouldn't tell her this, of course.

"I see." Her eyes raise to meet with his. "We'll talk about helping them out with Kakashi tomorrow. Goodnight, Sasuke."

Sakura turns to leave and it's the first time Sasuke has ever watched her walk away from him. His eyebrows furrow together. It's strange he thinks, to see her like this in the village, grown up. Onyx eyes roam her retreating figure and he can appreciate her growth. It isn't sexual, but more so along the lines of her accepting things for what they are and not what they were. Turning on his heel, he makes his way to the other side of the village to his apartment where he spends the rest of the night trying to get rid of the memory of her tear stained face all those years ago.

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><p>AN: I want to sincerely thank everyone who reviewed my first "chapter" if you can even consider that one since it was soo short, but nevertheless thank you all! It makes me happy that some of you already like my story enough favorite/follow it which motivated me to get this up for you guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and hope this was a well sized chapter for you. Please be sure to leave a review and tell me your thoughts!


	3. Chapter 3

"Ah, Sasuke good to see you're in one piece." Kakashi says.

Currently, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were standing before their old sensei - turned Hokage - in his office. It was strange for them to think that at one point there was an old, white haired, tobacco smoking geezer, a busty, gambling addicted alcoholic woman and now a lazy, un-punctual, porn reading ex sensei sitting in _the_ seat; wearing _the_ hat running an _entire_ village. They certainly had an interesting selection of Hokage over the years. It was as if the world was expressing that although they were ninja, they were _humans_ first. Luckily, the war hadn't destroyed their personalities completely.

For Sakura it was weird seeing her adolescent mentor sitting in the seat of her shishou. The Copy Ninja before her was there to outline her life as a child. Though he did not pay too much particular attention to her when she was young, she did learn many valuable lessons that would help her in the future. Tsunade, on the other hand, had molded her into the woman she was today. The blonde woman had taken her under her wing and showed her everything she knew and was even able to surpass her. She had been like a mother to the pinkette. Had given her the tough love that she needed in order to become the fierce warrior she was presently and for that, Sakura considered herself extremely lucky to be the predecessor of two powerful people.

Sasuke raises a sharp eyebrow, "I said I would stay out of trouble."

"Right right." Kakashi crosses his arms across his chest leaning back against the chair. "What brings the three of you here?"

"During my travels, I went to Sound and they are in need of assistance."

"Oh? What kind?"

"They need a new village leader. Someone authoritative to ensure their safety."

The Hokage sits upright in this chair placing his elbows on the desk, crossing his hands together by his chin contemplating, "I suppose after Orochimaru they would be lost."

"Hn."

"Would it be too soon to send the three of you out together for this?"

"What does that even mean, sensei?" Naruto asks.

Kakashi holds up his hands with caution. "Nothing at all." He then shrugs his shoulders. "Just because the three of you fought in a war together doesn't mean you don't lack teamwork."

The blonde angrily stomps over to the Hokage's desk slamming his palms against it, "we're still Team Seven no matter how many years have gone by!"

"Now now," a pale hand waves dismissively in Naruto's face, "there's no need for you to get worked up over anything."

Sakura grabs the back of her teammates collar pulling him back and proceeds to smack him upside the head. The loud mouthed ninja rubs the back of his head soothingly saying something about her abusive tendencies, but she quickly retorts back with pointing out how he was being disrespectful to the _hokage_. Sasuke watches the three of them and a feeling of nostalgia washes over him. He's suddenly thirteen years old again, troubled preteen eyes watching his teammates acting ridiculous when they should be focused on training and developing their skills. He sees a teacher completely bored out of his mind as he watches the two most animated members of their group hash out another quarrel over the Uzumaki's tendencies and somewhere in his subconsciousness, he sees himself scoffing at their playful banter half wishing that he could remain with them and another part of him torn with his demons.

Now, at twenty years old he watches them with totally different eyes. His team mates have matured and gotten much stronger from their youth. They were proud shinobi of the Leaf Village who had dutifully embraced the Will of Fire which was everyone's nindo, and yet here he was - a rouge ninja of his village who had abandoned that same nindo due to impatience and a clouded mind - and despite all that he has been through in the past seven years of his life, he thinks that perhaps he could have saved himself a lot of grief had he embraced the ways of the village and though he was standing there in the presence of the old Team Seven, blessedly accepted back into their lives, he still considered himself a total stranger to them.

Onyx eyes shift over to his old sensei, their eyes meeting, and with that brief exchange of glances, Sasuke can see all the promise that his old mentor has for them. He still had faith in him despite of the fact that he had failed him as a pupil and the ex avenger doesn't know how exactly he should take this faith from Kakashi. It feels like a burden. A weight that he doesn't think he'll be able to carry because he'd helped cause a war for Gods sakes! Briefly, Itachi's face comes to mind and the words that they had exchanged before he'd burst into dust rings through his thoughts. His older brother would want this for him. He can accept that now, but it doesn't mean that it would be easy for him to respect his brothers wishes, but he damn will try.

Not everyone gets a second chance.

Kakashi breaks up Sakura and Naruto's bickering by clearing his throat. "The three of you will head to Sound and restore order to the village. I will give you three days to do this and I want a daily report on what you see while you're all there. Should they need further guidance, I will send others once your mission there has been completed. Understood?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

"Good. The three of you will leave tomorrow morning. Dismissed."

Naruto claps Sasuke on the back. "Team Sevens first mission! This is going to be good!" He exclaims.

Dark eyes shift to the left to give the blonde a mild glare, "It's not an official mission."

"Perhaps not," Kakashi interrupts. "But with time i'm sure I can reinstate you for good behavior." He finishes with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

"We'll have to get that headband of yours fixed, bastard!"

Sasuke's shoulders tense at the reminder of his deflection recalling the way he even received that slash across the leaf insignia. Sakura watches them carefully, noticing the way the dark haired ninja seems to be uncomfortable at the mention of his status. "It probably doesn't even fit him anymore, Naruto. He'll have to get a new one." She says.

"Ah, I guess you're right, Sakura. He does have a big head for always being so cocky."

"Tch." Sasuke shrugs off Naruto's hand a little too forcefully. "You're one to talk."

"I can kick your ass any day bast-"

"Didn't I dismiss the three of you?" Kakashi quips.

Taking the hint, Sakura moves to stand before the boys shooing them out the office like children. "You heard the Hokage. Get out."

Dark eyes watch his old pupils leave his office, the scar of his left eye tingling a little. Seeing them with both eyes was a miracle and one that he would forever be grateful for. He couldn't be happier at having them all together again. Opening up the draw to his right he pulls out a copy of one of his favorite books, his chest filling with pride.

"The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, Chapter One."

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><p>AN: Hello my friends! Happy New Year! I want to apologize for the long wait on this chapter. I got a puppy for Christmas and she's a lot of work. It's like having a freaking baby, yo! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know it's not much, but I wanted to bring something out before you guys lose interest in this story or think i've forgotten about it (which will NOT happen!) This chapter is very Sasuke-centric and I did this because although this story is SasuSaku, I also want to incorporate Sasuke's growth throughout this story because i'm a _realist_ and they can't just kiss and makeup without him getting his shit together first.

P.S There is a rumor going around that The Last is coming to the US?! Say WHAT! Supposedly, it'll be out in theaters February 20th (English subbed of course) in select cities only. If you live in NYC, do not worry cause we'll have it! Yippie! Tickets supposedly start going on sale at the middle of this month so if this rumor is true, be sure to keep a look out for them. With that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will try my best to upload again before this month is over. I'd love to hear your thoughts so please be sure to leave a review. Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

The sun is just barely peeking through the Hokage mountain when Sakura arrives at the village gates. The bright flames from the watchtowers casts shadows on the walls that move almost hauntingly. As she makes her way closer to the gates she can see Sasuke and surprisingly Naruto already there. Their dark figures are easy to make out in the early morning rays. She thinks that although years have passed by and she can even go on to live hundreds of other lives she will never forget the way they look.

When she stands before them she sees her shadow mix in with theirs and almost tauntingly hers is far away from theirs. Naruto is half slumped on a nearby bench while Sasuke stands against the wall mirroring the way she'd first seen him in her office a few days prior. Sakura taps her friend to wake up and again he surprises her by actually waking up easily.

"Good morning, Naruto." She says gently.

"Mornin'," Yawn. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised you're here early."

"I stood at Hinata's house." At this, Sakura can't help but raise a delicate eyebrow at her friend which in turn gets him to blush. "We didn't do anything!"

"Right…" A smirk is on the pinkettes lips.

Eager to change the subject, Naruto all but shoots up on his feet and makes his way towards the village entrance the tips of his ears blazing red muttering things about getting the day started. Sasuke shifts to follow him, silent as ever. "Good morning, Sasuke."

"Sakura."

The gates to Konoha open up slowly and silently as the three of them stand along the entrance border. The three of them stand near one another and its all too surreal for Naruto. They're finally all leaving out the village together after so many years apart. His excitement is all too evident in the way he's shifting his weight from one foot to the other. When the gates fully open up the three of them simultaneously take off together running at full speed.

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><p>The journey to Sound is held in silence. They travel without barely saying a word to one another and this bothers Naruto beyond belief. He would have thought that the three of them would be a little livelier with each other, but apparently things don't exactly go back to normal so quickly. Sasuke spoke to him from time to time but the relationship between the dark haired ninja and the rosette was much more strained and he was determined to get them to talk.<p>

Sasuke leads the three of them to Sound with Naruto directly behind him and Sakura at the end. She watches as her "team mates" interact and in a way she can't really be upset with the fact that she's barely spoken to Sasuke. What could she possibly say to him? How does she even begin to interact with him after all these years? It would be a lie if she said that her heart didn't ache just a little from not being able to converse with him, even a little, but then she thinks about how he's leaving again and really what's the point in getting to know him when he was just going to leave again?

The steady _clack_ of ninja boots resonate through the dense forest as they leap through the branches and they're just about half way to Sound when Sasuke suggests they take a break. The sun is beginning to set, the wind is getting chillier by the hour and the stars are just barely visible in the sky.

Old habits die hard as Sasuke makes the fire while Naruto fetches the water and Sakura installs the traps around their campsite. When the kunoichi returns, the fire is crackling and Naruto is cooking up some ramen. She smiles a little when she notices the brooding ninja give her friend an almost irritated look at the way Naruto all but scarfs down his meal once he deems it ready, but its only the slurping sounds of her team mate that fills in the awkward silence between the three of them.

There is a sound of flapping wings as a nearby owl takes flight as green eyes trail its movement as it ascends up and out of the forest. After several moments, Sasuke stands and declares that he would volunteer to take the first watch. He makes his way out their campsite leaving Sakura and Naruto alone. Emerald and azure eyes connect and the pinkette can see the almost questioning look in her friends eyes. The fire casts shadows under his eyes making him look tired and worn but she can read all too clearly that he wants her to take action as his eyes move from her form quickly over to where their team mate disappeared to.

_I can't._

Sighing, Naruto gets up and walks after Sasuke leaving her alone.

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><p>The moment the three of them arrive to Sound, Sakura is immediately concerned. Her concern has nothing to do with her feeling uneasy about being in the village, but more so on the state she sees it in. Sasuke has been extremely vague on how Sound was. The make shift houses are poorly made and many of the villagers look almost gray. They look sad and almost helpless, her anger flares at the thought of bandits harassing these people.<p>

Naruto and Sakura walk inside the village almost shyly. Never in a million years did they think that they'd be here but their eyes are ever calculating. Sasuke stands back surveying the state of the village from the last time he was there. It seems as though things have gotten far worse and he isn't sure what they could do for these people anymore. He notices his companions moving further into the village and follows.

_'How long have they been this way?'_ Naruto thinks to himself as his eyes roam his surroundings. His eyes take in the way there are holes in every single roof, broken glass litters the walkway, discarded pieces of shredded clothing and worn out shoes are scattered every which way and he tries to ignore the almost permanent smell of rotting, burnt flesh that permeates the air. He tentatively walks inside a hut and his heart contricts at what he sees.

Nothing. The people practically had nothing.

This particular hut is so destroyed on the inside that it looks like its one powerful gust of wind away from collapsing, and yet there in the corner, is a neatly folded thin blanket. It's grey and dirty and it smells like urine, but its there waiting for its owner to come back and make use of it.

He walks inside another hut and there are dirty, plastic cups scattered on the dirt floor. Another house contains the remnants of a torn up stuffed animal. The last house makes his hands curl into fists and his eyes almost bleed red when he sees blood splattered on the floor.

Further away from Naruto, the medic nin is crowarched on the floor balancing on the balls of her feet as she inspects a broken flask. Sasuke stands a few paces away from her standing watch but it isn't until he hears the _zip_ of her pouch that he turns his attention towards her. He watches her put on gloves and picks up the flasks and he sees the way her shoulders tense upon further inspection.

Curious, he walks over to her mirroring her position and stares at the item in her hands. His brows furrow together with concern when he recognizes what exactly she's holding. Green eyes shift to her right to regard her companion. "Someone has drank whatever contents were inside this."

"How do you know?" He asks.

"If you look at it closely, you can see fingerprints and around its circumference there are remnants of a lip imprint which are totally different from fingerprints." Sakura sees the way Sasuke's jaw is all but clenched together and she knows from their younger days that he only did this when he was particularly bothered by something. "Do you know what this is?"

Onyx eyes never stray from the flask in the pinkettes hands. "These particular containers usually carry liquids that Orochimaru would use to inject into his experiments."

Pink eyebrows fly up in shock. "What?! You mean to tell me that there are biohazardous contents lying around this village for just about anyone to pick up?!" Her voice is filled with an accusatory tone that he doesn't like.

"These weren't lying around the last time I was here." He defends.

Sakura abruptly stands up and Sasuke does that same. He watches as she flings the flask some ways away from them, the shattering of broken glass is almost too loud for them to hear in the densely populated village. Onyx eyes see the concern written on her face and on the inside he knows that if her conclusion is true then the people of Sound would need a lot more help than he realized.

There is a shuffling behind them and they turn to see Naruto walking towards them. His facial expression mirrors that of Sakura's, but his eyes are filled with a fiery determination that he is familiar with.

"We have to help these people guys…" He says almost quietly.

The medic nin walks towards her blonde friend and puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We will," she says while she makes her way past them and walks towards the heart of the village taking the lead.

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><p><strong>AN**: I have to say that i'm extremely disappointed in the lack of reviews that i received from Chapter 3. I'm grateful to those who have favored and followed this story, but I would greatly appreciate reviews as well. I want to hear your thoughts and opinions. I write this fic for you guys and want to make sure that you are all enjoying this so far. I want to thank **C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only** for being a constant reviewer. I greatly appreciate it!

On another note, I will be watching The Last next month! I can't tell you how excited I am! I bought my tickets to see the movie last month and I couldn't believe how many showings were SOLD OUT! There seems to be A LOT of Naruto fans here in NYC, but I was lucky enough to purchase my tickets. Are any of you guys watching the movie and or watched it yet? If any of you guys are interested in watching the movie, I will link the page from the **Eleven Arts** website that has a complete listing of all the cities that the movie will be available in theaters and from there you can purchase your tickets as well. Don't worry, it's completely legit.

Please do leave a review!


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